The Sanatoga Post

POTTSTOWN PA – A final 26-24 vote Wednesday night (Dec. 14,2011) in the Pennsylvania Senate confirmed months of work by legislators who created a new decennial map of the state’s congressional districts, which The Pennsylvania Independent online news service said had been “drawn in behind-closed-door meetings,” unveiled only a day earlier (Tuesday, Dec. 13), and conducted without input from the public or the state legislature’s Democrat minority.

Rep. Jim Gerlach

The process “has reignited a debate about the proper way to draw new districts,” The Independent reported.

The new maps must now be approved by the state House of Representatives, which is scheduled to vote on the measure Monday (Dec. 19)

Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township is significantly affected by the redistricting. It has been represented for the past 10 years by Republican Congressman Charlie Dent, whose 15th District primarily covered the Lehigh Valley. If the new maps are approved, as is expected, the township would be consolidated with the borough of Pottstown, and Upper and West Pottsgrove townships into a re-configured 6th District represented by Republican Rep. Jim Gerlach.

Gerlach’s district already includes Limerick Township.

Representation by one congressman of so many contiguous municipalities is seen as a boon for local governments and politicians who oversee them and, by extension, their constituents. Area observers believe uniting under a greater Pottstown banner in a single district better focuses municipal interests at the federal level on consensus issues like improvements to U.S. Route 422 and economic development.

On the other hand, it also means Lower Pottsgrove, which had been working with Dent’s office, would begin somewhat anew with Gerlach … even though local officials know and have collaborated with him before.

New congressional districts must be redrawn every decade following the national census to reflect shifts in population, but every state undertakes that process in their own way. Pennsylvania Democrats charged Wednesday that the controlling Republican majority unfairly chopped and reassembled districts in puzzle-like fashion for their own electoral advantage.

• Read a story by reporter Eric Boehm, titled “PA lawmakers say redistricting process unfair, seek changes” and published Wednesday by The Independent, here.

Other coverage:

• Pa. Senate Passes Congressional Map 26-24 (Politics In PA)
• State Senate approves congressional redistricting plan (The Independent)
• New redistricting maps ‘puzzling’ for many (The Mercury)
• Pennsylvania state Senate moves Congressional district map to House (Harrisburg Patriot-News)
• Pennsylvania’s redistricting map poised for Senate approval (Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

HARRISBURG PA – Amanda Holt, a piano teacher who lives in Lehigh County, is pushing state lawmakers to fix the way Pennsylvania’s legislative districts are drawn. She even drew her own version of the state legislative district maps — meticulously plotting out all 203 House districts and 50 Senate districts — while keeping existing county and municipal borders whenever possible.

Analysts praise her plan, The Pennsylvania Independent online news service reported Thursday (Sept. 29, 2011), but said they doubt it will hold much sway with the Legislative Reapportionment Commission that’s tasked with reconfiguring congressional and state House and Senate districts to conform with 2010 Census requirements.

he way the maps are redrawn later this year could affect who represents Lower Pottsgrove and Limerick PA townships, and the borough of Pottstown, at federal and state levels during the next 10 years.

• Read a story by reporter Eric Boehm, titled “Woman behind a different kind of redistricting plan” and published Thursday by The Independent, here.

Related:

• Woman Submits Her Own Maps to Suggest Redistricting
• Congressional Redistricting Process Under Way In Harrisburg
• Audience Packs Congressional Redistricting Hearing
• Business Of Pennsylvania Redistricting Gets Started
• Is State’s Redistricting Already Less Than Transparent?
• Local Congressmen Attend State Redistrict Meeting
• Lower Pottsgrove May Again Be In Redistricting Battle

Logo from Stateline.org

HARRISBURG PA – Would work on rebuilding the bridge between Royersford and Spring City PA have to stop if the federal government defaults on its debt obligations Aug. 2 (2011)? Would Pottsgrove School District students covered by the state Children’s Health Insurance Program be required to pay in full to visit a doctor? Would townships pay more for municipal loans?

Those are examples of questions being asked this week as Pennsylvania officials ponder the potential local effects of Washington’s failure, so far, to pass a law that raises the federal debt limit and allows the federal government to borrow more money to pay its bills.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, which is paying for the Royersford bridge work and whose budget last year consisted primarily of federal funds, doesn’t know how the debt ceiling crisis will affect its projects, The Pennsylvania Independent online news service reported Friday (July 22).

But the state Department of Insurance, also heavily dependent on federal funding, thinks the children’s insurance program will continue uninterrupted. It paid the monthly premiums in advance, a department spokeswoman told The Independent. And a financing expert said that, if a default occurs, the problem for townships and other municipal borrowers may not be the cost of money, but whether money becomes available at all.

• Read a story by reporter Darwyyn Deyo, titled “Pennsylvania faces higher interest rates with federal debt downgrade” and published Friday by The Independent, here.

Most of those worried about the trickle-down extent of a federal default at this point can only speculate on the effects, The Independent indicated. They all fervently hope, though, that this too shall pass.

Both political parties in Congress were busy Sunday (July 24) preparing their own versions of emergency plans to be enacted to avoid a default, according to The Associated Press. Details of the plans were “sketchy,” it said, and added that “risking a default … could have severe consequences for the U.S. economy and the world’s, too.”

“It is imperative that a resolution on the debt ceiling be achieved” before the Aug. 2 deadline, Lower Pottsgrove congressman Rep. Charlie Dent (PA 15th Dist.) agreed in a prepared statement. “Congress must make difficult decisions about the future of federal spending,” he urged.

But a proposal called “Cut, Cap and Balance,” which Dent favored and that he said would have returned spending to pre-stimulus levels and capped it as a percentage of the nation’s gross domestic product, did not pass the U.S. Senate. Instead, Congressional leaders say they will now opt for a more limited proposal that raises the debt limit just enough to get the country’s bills paid through year-end. President Obama criticizes that as too short a term.

“The debt deal-making has consumed Washington for weeks and has put on display a government that at times risks utter dysfunction,” The AP story said.

Composite photo from Google images

The State Capital

HARRISBURG PA — The legislative redistricting process is now under way in Pennsylvania, The Pennsylvania Independent online news service reports. The five-member state Legislative Reapportionment Commission met for the first time Wednesday, it said, in an organizational meeting before beginning the process of redrawing legislative districts.

• Read a story by reporter Darwyyn Deyo, titled “Redistricting commission meets for first time, passes organizational resolutions” and published Thursday (May 12, 2011) by The Independent, here.
• Read a related story by reporter Tom Barnes, titled “Reapportionment commission promises fairness” and published Wednesday (May 11) by the Pittsburgh (PA) Post-Gazette newspaper.

Related:

• Business Of Pennsylvania Redistricting Gets Started
• Is State’s Redistricting Already Less Than Transparent?
• Local Congressmen Attend State Redistrict Meeting
• Lower Pottsgrove May Again Be In Redistricting Battle

Photo from Flickr

WASHINGTON DC – Lower Pottsgrove congressman Rep. Charlie Dent voted Thursday (May 5, 2011) in support of the Restarting American Offshore Leasing Now Act (H.R. 1230), a bill to advance delayed oil and natural gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of Virginia. It passed the House by a vote of 266 to 149.

The legislation will increase long-term production of domestic energy resources,” Dent said. “It is important we make certain drilling off our shores is done in a clean and safe manner, but we can no longer … excessively delay development of American energy. (The bill) establishes a reasonable deadline for the Department of Interior to ensure leases that were originally approved in 2007 are progressing in a timely and responsible fashion.”

In 2007, the U.S. Department of Interior approved three lease sales in the Outer Continental Shelf that would take place in 2011, and another that would occur in 2012. Following the BP Oil Deepwater Horizon spill, a moratorium was imposed on all deepwater drilling activities and later delayed the completion of the 2011 lease sale off the coast of Virginia. A limited number of drilling permits has recently been approved, but according to Dent the process for developing leases remains “extraordinarily slow.”

POTTSTOWN PA – If you’ve got a beef with the federal government, need help with paperwork crafted by a Beltway bureaucrat, or just want someone to hear your thoughts on how the world should turn in Washington DC, Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township’s congressman – Rep. Charlie Dent – wants to see you personally … but with two conditions.

First: You’ll have to drive just a few miles to Upper Pottsgrove (PA) Township to meet him. Second: He’ll be available tomorrow (Friday, April 29, 2011) between 10 and 11 a.m. only in the township municipal building, 1409 Farmington Ave., Pottstown PA.

The congressman won’t be alone. Members of his staff also will be on hand to assist those who visit with any personal matters involving federal agencies. Upper Pottsgrove isn’t the only place Dent will visit Friday, either; Cetronia PA, an Allentown suburb, also is on his travel itinerary.

Why is Dent’s schedule so tight? Actually, not many people come out on a weekday to talk with their elected officials, nor do many choose to. They find the phone and e-mail pretty handy, and a lot less time-consuming, to reach powers-that-be for whom they voted. And while Dent and his constituent service crew will surely be pleasant and helpful, some things folks need doing may not be completed in a single visit. Meetings like those planned for Friday often are used to determine the extent of a problem; fixing it comes later.

For more information, call Dent’s East Greenville office, 215-541-4106.

Charlie Dent

ALLENTOWN PA – High school juniors in the Pottsgrove, Spring-Ford Area and Pottstown school districts are among those invited to attend a U.S. Service Academy Information Day, hosted by U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania and Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township’s congressman, Rep. Charlie Dent, on Saturday (April 30, 2011) from 10 a.m. to noon at Parkland High School, 2700 N. Cedar Crest Blvd., Allentown PA.

The session is specifically geared toward students interested in learning more about attending one of the service academies following graduation. The event is free, and will include an explanation of the nomination and admission process, and opportunities for students to speak with representatives from the U.S. Air Force Academy (Colorado Springs CO), U.S. Coast Guard Academy (New London CT), U.S. Naval Academy (Annapolis MD), U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (Kings Point NY), and U.S. Military Academy (West Point NY).

For more information, call Jason Lane in Dent’s district office, 610-861-9734.

HARRISBURG PA – The Republican-controlled state Legislature is due to begin gathering U.S. Census data this week that will allow it to consolidate Pennsylvania’s 19 Congressional districts into 18, and re-draw lines on 203 state House districts and 50 state Senate districts, The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review newspaper reported Tuesday (March 8, 2011).

The Census Bureau's Redistricting Guide

Redistricting, as the every-10-years exercise is known, may have an effect on representation Lower Pottsgrove and Limerick (PA) townships, and the borough of Pottstown, receive in the Legislature and U.S. House of Representatives.

Lower Pottsgrove currently is represented in Congress by Rep. Charlie Dent of the 15th District, whose offices and home are based in the Lehigh Valley. Limerick and Pottstown are represented by Rep. Jim Gerlach of the 6th District, based in Chester County. Both were among those invited to participate Monday (March 7) in a meeting with state Senate leaders for a briefing on how redistricting would work.

Pennsylvania will lose one House seat because its population has declined.

• Read a story by reporter Mike Wereschagin, titled “Republicans cast gaze on Pennsylvania redistricting,” and published Tuesday in The Tribune-Review, here.
• Read a story by reporter Tom Barnes, titled “Redistricting won’t occur for months, GOP says,” and published Monday in The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newspaper, here.
• Read a story by reporters Colby Itkowitz and John L. Micek, titled “Census numbers weaken Pennsylvania’s voice in D.C.,” and published Monday in The (Allentown PA) Morning Call newspaper, here. It mentions Dent.

Related:

• Local Congressmen Attend State Redistrict Meeting
• Lower Pottsgrove May Again Be In Redistricting Battle

KING OF PRUSSIA PA – Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township congressman Rep. Charlie Dent, and Rep. Jim Gerlach – who represents Limerick Township and the borough of Pottstown in Congress – both are scheduled to attend a Monday (March 7, 2011) discussion of pipeline safety issues with federal, state, and local officials. The meeting is set for 9-10:30 a.m. in the Upper Merion Municipal Building, 175 W. Valley Forge Rd., King of Prussia PA.

• This event has been added to The Post calendar.

Gerlach spokesman Kori Walter said the meeting, conducted by the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials, was intended to seek comment on pipeline safety within the state. The event is open to the public. A press conference on the subject will immediately follow, according to Walter.

Photo from Google Images

Charlie Dent

WASHINGTON DC – Rep. Charlie Dent, the Lehigh Valley Republican who represents Lower Pottsgrove (PA) Township as part of Pennsylvania’s 15th Congressional District, last week (Feb. 16, 2011) was named the recipient of the 2011 Pathfinder Award presented by the Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Energy Association (FCHEA).

The Pathfinder Award recognizes individuals outside the energy industry who help advance fuel cell and hydrogen technology. Dent helped to found the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Caucus in Congress, and has been an advocate of programs for its development and deployment. He also promoted tax credits for hydrogen fueling stations and fuel cells.

In previous years, the Pathfinder Award has honored researchers, planners, political leaders, employees of federal and state governments, and fuel cell users and buyers. The symbol of the Pathfinder Award is the compass.

Photo from Rep. Charlie Dent